Fastener for floor coverings



1957 w. J. LARABELL FASTENER FOR FLOOR COVERINGS Filed May 27, 1954Inventor Attorney FASTENER FOR FLOOR COVERINGS Wilfred J. Larahell,Detroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich.,a corporation of Delaware Application May 27, 1954, Serial No. 432,782

3 Claims. (Cl. 164) This invention relates to fastening devices, andmore particularly to fastening devices adapted to secure the edge of acarpet, rubber mat or other floor covering to a mold ing similar to thesill plate commonly employed in automobiles.

A great variety of devices have been developed and used for securing theedge of a carpet to the floor of a home so that the edge of the carpetmay not be curled or pulled away from the floor in normal use. Thisfastening problem also exists in automobiles where a carpet, rubber mator other floor covering is presently employed on the floor to enhancethe beauty and to increase the comfort thereof. As in the case ofcarpeting for dwellings, a variety of fastening devices have beendeveloped for use in automobiles to secure the edge of the carpet to thefloor so that the carpet will not roll and otherwise move out ofposition in relatively more severe normal use, such as the frequententry and exit of passengers into and from the vehicle.

While these fastening devices for automobile carpets have satisfactorilyperformed their intended function of overlying the carpet edge andexerting downward pressure thereon to hold the carpet against the floor,they have been unsatisfactory in other respects. One of the moreaggravating and common failures of present day devices is that the edgeof the carpet may be relatively easily pulled free thereof, but replacedwith considerable difiiculty. Thus, the carpet edge becomes mutilatedand deformed and foreign matter is permitted to gather underneath thecarpet, to the great inconvenience of passengers of the vehicle. Withthe present devices, even smaller children are capable and often apt topurposely pull the carpet edge free of whatever securing device isprovided in the automobile, such as from under the sill plate at thedoor openings of the vehicle.

It is now proposed to provide a carpet assembly in which the carpet edgemay be easily and conveniently secured under the sill plate or othermember normally overlying the carpet edge and which may not be normallyremoved from underneath the sill plate by normal use or by design ofthose such as children not familiar with its mode of operation. In theproposed carpet assembly, the carpet may be easily removed from underthe sill plate if so desired by a simple operation with a common toolsuch as a screw driver and without removing the sill plate. Also, onceremoved, the carpet edge may be easily replaced under the sill platebecause the latter need not be constructed to bear on the carpet edgewith considerable pressure as do present day sill plates.

The proposed carpet assembly includes a sill plate or molding having aninturned flange overlying the carpet edge and an unseen clip adapted toengage the edge of the carpet and to engage the inturned flange of thesill plate or molding by means of a tab provided thereon, thuspreventing the unintended removal of the carpet.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sheet metal blank from which theclip shown by Figure 2 may be formed.

nited States Patent 0 F 2,779,048 Patented Jan. 29, 1957 Figure 2 is aperspective view of a clip embodying the invention.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a carpet assembly including a clipsuch as that shown by Figure 2. Figure 3 is taken along the plane ofline 33 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing in greater detail, a clip 10 embodying theinvention may be formed from the blank 12 by suitably bending the blank12 to provide spaced arms 14 and 16, interlocking teeth 18 and 20 andupwardly and outwardly extending tabs 22.

Referring now to Figure 3, an assembly embodying the invention comprisesa floor 24, a sill member 26 and a carpet, mat or other floor covering28 having the edge 30 thereof adjacent the sill 26. The clip 10 issecured to the edge 30 of the carpet 28 by pressing the legs 14 and 16of the clip together so that the teeth 18 and 20 may pierce the carpetfor firm engagement therewith. A sill plate 32, which may be secured tothe sill by any suitable means such as a spacer member 34 and a screw36, is provided with an inwardly extending flange 38 overlying the edge30 of the carpet 28 in a manner so that the tabs 22 may interlock withthe flange 38 and thereby prevent the unintended pulling out of thecarpet 28 from underneath the sill plate 32. It will be noted that thecarpet may be easily removed from underneath the sill plate 32 byremoving the sill plate or by freeing the tab 22 of the flange 33, as bypushing the carpet toward the sill 26 and depressing the tabs 22 bymeans such as a screw driver.

It may be seen from the above specification and drawings that there hasbeen provided inexpensively produced and easily assembled means forpositively preventing the loosening of a carpet or other floor coveringalong the edges thereof due to normal use, and except when it is desiredto do so.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a floor having a sill, a floor covering on saidfloor having a free edge thereof adjacent said sill, a separate sillplate spaced from and overlying said sill and the adjacent edge of saidfloor covering, said sill plate being secured to said sill and having aninwardly disposed flange at the edge thereof overlying said floorcovering, said flange being sufliciently removed from the point ofattachment of said sill plate to said sill to permit the flexure thereofaway from said floor and a clip preventing the removal of said floorcovering from underneath said sill plate, said clip being formed toprovide a bend having a pair of arms extending therefrom in the samedirection, said arms having interlocking teeth at the free end thereofopposite said bend engaging said edge of said floor covering when saidfloor covering is inserted between said arms and said arms are pressedtogether against said floor covering, one of said arms being providedwith outwardly extending tabs interlocking with the inwardly disposedflange of said sill plate when said floor covering is pushed under saidsill plate or when said sill plate is applied over said floor coveringedge.

2. The combination of a floor having a sill, a floor covering overlyingsaid floor and having an edge adjacent said sill, a separate sill platesecured in spaced relation to said sill and extending both inwardly oversaid floor to overlie the edge of said floor covering, and outwardly beyond said carpet edge on a plane above the adjacent sur face of saidcarpet, the inwardly extending portion of said sill plate beingsufficiently removed from the point of attachment of said sill plate tosaid sill to permit the flexure thereof away from said floor, and a clipengaging the edge of said floor covering, said clip having an upwardlyextending shoulder in looking engagement with said sill plate andpreventing the removal of said floor covering from under said sillplate.

3. The combination of a floor panel having a raised 3 sill at a dooropening, a floor covering 011 said floor eX- fiange on said sill platepreventing the removal of said tending toward said sill, a separate sillplate spaced over floor covering edge from under said sill plate. saidsill and having the inner edge thereof overlying said floor coveringadjacent said sill, the edge of said sill plate References Citfid in the515 of this P t overlying said floor covering havinga downwardly andinwardly formed flange thereon, said flange being capable of UNITEDSTATES PATENTS being flexed away from said floor, and a clip engagingthe l9164 Wakefigld 1858 1,473,098 Hollenbeck et al Nov. 6, 1923 edge ofsaid floor covering ad acent said Slll, said clip having a portionthereof in locking relation with said 1592923 Butterworth July 19262,166,553 Rennekarnp -luly 18, 1939 2,651,540 211110 Sept. 8, 1953

